Youth from around Ohio to help clean up city starting Friday

Darcie LorenoPublished: July 13, 2006 12:00AM

By DARCIE LORENO
T-G Staff Writer
Nearly 150 youth will flock to Ashland Friday and Saturday to help clean up the citys corridors and parks.
As part of the Akron Ohio Stake Youth Conference, members of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints youth groups from 10 Ohio cities have been planning the event since last November and are ready to get their hands dirty.
Each year we do something different, said Ashlander and planning committee member Leeanne Patalon, 16. Because I helped planned it, I think Im going to have a lot of fun doing this. I think its going to be a lot of fun this year.
Group members, ages 14 through 18, will check into their rooms at Ashland University early Friday morning. At about 10:30 a.m., theyll meet to begin their service projects. After a slate of other activities, theyll commence the service work again Saturday morning.
Theyll be split into several groups, and, along with supervision and guidance from city workers, will complete work like weeding, mulching, edging, weed eating and trash pick-up at locations like Brookside, Cahn Grove Park, the U.S. 250 Bypass, Faultless Drive, Ford Drive and Cottage Street at the railroad tracks.
Each year, theres a different service project in a different location. Last year, the group went to New York and the year before, Hiram College.
Nathan Brunner, 16, of Rootsstown, said the decision on a location this year was between Ashland and Alliance. Patalon has been a part of the conferences the past two years and said it was partly her idea to work in Ashland this year.
Ashland is so small and we usually do something in big cities, she said.
The youth along with adults involved with the youth groups met with city officials to map out project work and locations.
Jerry Mack, street department director, said theyll help weed around signs, fire hydrants and guard rails along with clean up the area near the Cottage Street railroad tracks.
Tim Clingan, city parks and recreation director, said the group will help the department with general cleanup and some projects it hasnt yet gotten to this summer including near basketball courts, the band shell, the pond and the pool.
Its something that really helps our labor situation and projects and also gives them the opportunity to put a feather in their caps in what they accomplish in helping a community, he said.
Brunner said hes had a lot of fun attending the conferences the past few years.
I think this one will be fun, he said. I dont mind the working.
n Darcie Loreno can be reached at 419-281-0581 ext. 237 or at dloreno@times-gazette.com.